The Platycerium Hillii is native to Queensland,
Australia. Typically the shield fronds are roundish or kidney
shaped. The shields grow close together, tightly pressed, into
layers of old fronds. Top edge is wavy or shallow lobed.
The shield fronds grow in fall and winter months. Because the
shield frond grow close to its mounting, getting water to the root
ball can be challenging. Hillii collect water in the fertile
fronds at night time from evening dew.

The fertile
fronds are erect with long wedge-shaped base and a broad top. dark
green in color with vertical pronounced veins. The tops are waxy
with fuzzy hair on the underside. Spore patched form on the
underside of tips.

There are several cultivars within this species. Jimmie,
Drummond, Diversifolium, Bloomei, Pumilum, Panama, Hula Hands, and a few unnamed variants.
Most, if not all P. hillii are very hardy and produce many
pups.

Generally speaking, in the northern hemisphere November is the time
to remount P. hillii as beginning in December new shield fronds will
start forming and cover the mounting media.

P.
hillii Jimmie (left) is a cultivar from the Steve Talnadge Fern
Nursery in San Diego prior to 1974. The vertical veins in the
fertile fronds are less pronounced and the underside has a fuzzy hair
appearance. The shield fronds tend to hug the mounting making it
difficult to water. We have had 4x4 patio post rot out
because the plant tightly hugs its mounting and they never dry
out.

The
P. hillii Delight (right) has huge broad fertile fronds with
rounded lobes on the finger ends. Very rare

P.
hillii, cv. Bloomei (left) is similar to the cv. Jimmie, but the
vertical veins in the fertile fronds are more pronounced and there is
little or no fuzzy hair on the underside. Some times the Bloomei
is classified as its own species, P. bloomei but it is probably
a cultivar, P. hillii cv Bloomei.

P.
hillii, cv. Diversifolium (right) is reported to be a larger
growing variety than most P. hillii.

P. hillii, cv Panama (left &
right) is
a small slow growing hillii and ideal for limited space where one
can not afford to grow a humongous platy.

The photo on the right
is a well established P. hillii cv Panama from Norm Nakanishi's
garden at LAIFS. It clearly shows the wide multi fingered
fertile frond. There is a unique web
page for the Panama

P. hillii, cv Hula Hands (right) is a unique
platy with small finger like tips on the fertile fronds. The
Hula Hands is one of two platy's from Polynesia. The South Seas is
the other one.

Large P. Bloomei from West central Gulf Coast of Florida submitted
by Denise. Notice how big the fronds are on the left photo.

This platycerium has been identified
as a P. hillii cv Black by Lyus Ciapus Flora on Planet
Platycerium in Facebook. Similar color to the P. hillii
Delight above but the fertile fronts are significantly
different.